None of the Above

Would you vote for None of the Above?

There is a bill in New Hampshire to add "None of the Above" to the ballot to allow voters to express their dissatisfaction with a field of candidates.  If "none of the above" wins, there would have to be a special election. I haven't seen any details on how that would work but have to wonder if those who lost to "none of the above" would be excluded.

None of these candidates

Nevada has had this option on its ballots since 1975 but in the foremost example of government stupidity if "None of these candidates" wins, the election goes to the candidate with the next highest number of votes.

In the 1976 Republican Primary for Nevada's at large district "None of these candidates" received 16,097 votes allowing Walden Earhart to win with 9831.  It has also had a spoiler effect, in 1998 Harry Reid defeated John Ensign by 428 votes while "None of these candidates" walked away with 8125 votes.

Not a bad idea but...

if none of the above wins an election, there needs to be a special election excluding those candidates who lost to none of the above.

CBS Boston

Déjà entendu

1. Controlling the Borders
2. Increasing Work Visas
3. Offering "earned" citizenship for those already here.

Sound Familiar?

It should, those are the "three legs" of the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. It may also sound familiar for another reason.

1. Border Enforcement and Security Must Come First
2. Reforms to Legal Immigration System
3. Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law

That's from the text of the Republican's Principles on Immigration.  The text also states that our immigration problems cannot be solved with a single piece of legislation and offer a step-by-step, piece-by piece approach.  The problem is that whether you have one piece of shit or ten pieces of shit, in the end... all you have is shit.

Insanity:

Is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

One cannot fix the problems with illegal immigration by immigration reform any more than one can fix the problem of bank robberies by reforming our banking and financial regulations.  The only thing that prevents bank robberies is enforcement of the law and the only thing that will prevent illegal immigration is enforcement of the law, whatever that law may turn out to be.

The DHS claims, and many laugh, an 80% success rate at the border (others put that number as low as 40%).  If 2 out of 10 bank robberies went unsolved do you think the number of bank robberies would go up? What if 6 out of 10 bank robberies went unsolved?

We need a completely new approach

I don't claim to have all the answers but I do know doing the same thing over and over again won't work.  In 1986 we had 5 million illegal aliens in the country today we have 11 million illegal aliens in the country.  We don't need a repeat of Simpson-Mazzoli.  

Completely separate work and immigration requirements, move responsibility for work visas to the Department of Labor, leave immigration and enforcement with the DHS.

Work visa reform.  Short of an impervious border, people will continue to cross illegally as long as it is easier than crossing legally.  If you can't walk or drive up to a border checkpoint and get through in no more than a few hours the problem isn't going to go away.

Establish a computer system through the department of labor by which employers with unfillable vacancies can register by category; agriculture, labor, construction, assembly, etc.  You can have a requirement that positions must be advertised internally for x amount of time if you wish to make those positions available to citizens first.  Match vacancies in the system to persons at the border by locale or region, obtain biometric data on the persons entering, run a simple background check and issue a visa/ID.  You can even give them a list of employers with vacancies in the area they want to go to on their way out the door and you can make it renewable with proof of employment. Check in/Check out.

I'm not saying that's the answer, it's a suggestion, a starting point.  What are your suggestions for fixing this problem? As neither the Democrats or Republicans seem to be coming up any new and innovative approaches that aren't going to leave us in the same place thirty years from now.

Funday: A Room With A View

 

Who wants one?

With an Apple Mac Pro, Winscape Software, and a Kinect Sensor for an Xbox you can have any view you want and it can all be controlled from an app on your iPhone.  Tracking the location of the viewer, it adjusts the scene accordingly.  You can even make your own scenes if you have a video camera that records in 1080p minimum (4K even better) at 30 frames per second.  The demo uses two built in 46 inch Panasonic plasma displays but the software will work with anywhere from one to six monitors.

I've always thought that this would be a good use of a  flat screen TV when one wasn't watching TV.  If I ever make the switch back to Apple (a move I've been contemplating), I might go ahead and get the Winscape software. 

Of course, I might be tempted to do this:

 

 

Does anybody get this?

Much Ado About... What?

Californian professor claims Osama bin Laden is a FREEDOM FIGHTER in book he has made required reading for students

Was the headline that I followed to the Daily Mail, I found more to think about once I got there.  The quote from the book that is causing the controversy follows:

"The Al Qaeda movement of Osama bin Laden is one example of an attempt to free a country (in this case, Saudi Arabia) from a corrupt and repressive regime propped up by a neocolonial power (in this case, the United States),"

The Problem

The problem here is that the quote is, mostly, true.  Saudi Arabia is indeed a corrupt and repressive regime, they are propped up by the United States, and one of the goals of Al Qaeda is the elimination of the Saudi monarchy. 

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think Osama bin Laden was a freedom fighter as I think his primary goal was simply to replace one corrupt and repressive regime with another.  It is indisputable that the House of Saud is the antithesis of the principles our country was built upon but as Egypt so perfectly illustrates, the devil you know is far better than the devil you don't.  

So far, the only place I have seen bin Ladin called a "Freedom Fighter" is in headlines about this professor and his book and not in any of the excerpts from the book itself.

Liberal Bias?

Nor do I dispute the student's allegation that the professor suffers from liberal bias:

He was encouraging us to be activists, the whole last part of the course was about how to cause "positive change"... but his examples of positive change were all stuff like Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and raising the minimum wage.

After all, even liberal professors can see the liberal bias in American colleges and universities. In a UCLA study 12.4% of professors are identified as far left, 50.3% as liberal, 25.4% as 'middle-of-the-road' and only 11.5% as conservative... the opposite of far left, the far right garners a mere 0.4%

The Problem part II

The problem in and of itself isn't professors that are liberal but the lack of professors that are conservative.  For the most part the conversation on campus is one-sided and that is the true problem.  

From what little I've been able to garner from articles, Dr Emmit Evans is a good liberal professor, I'd probably enjoy taking his class.  If only we had more conservative professors just like him.

"The Al Qaeda movement of Osama bin Laden is one example of an attempt to free a country (in this case, Saudi Arabia) from a corrupt and repressive regime propped up by a neocolonial power (in this case, the United States),"

Think about it.

Scenes from the SOTU Address

Now that was an hour+ I'll never get back.

If you missed the speech, here it is condensed down to five minutes

 

Farewell to a Great American

  

"I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this."
-- Pete Seeger HUAC Statement

Pete Seeger, the father of modern American folklore, has died at the age of 94. My heart is sad today at his passing.

A WW II Army veteran who served in the Pacific, he was blacklisted during the red scare of the 1950's, a most egregious burst of un-Americanism launched by fanatics in our government. But in typical Pete Seeger style, he took it with a smile, not caring much for commercial success anyway. He turned his attention to activist causes, performing in small venues, and writing and singing for children, bringing our original American music to subsequent generations.

Here are some other facts about this ‘dangerous’, ‘un-American’ communist:

He quit the popular folk group The Weavers in 1958 because he disagreed with their decision to do cigarette commercials.

He was married to the same woman, Toshi-Aline Ohta, for 70 years, with whom he built the log cabin in the woods they and their children lived in.

He taught America's songs, our folk music, to generations of children, literally passing on our musical heritage and keeping it alive.

He wrote the song Turn, Turn, Turn, based upon Ecclesiastes and made popular by the Byrds.

Pete Seeger was a man of great joy and erudition, a talented and innovative musician, a living embodiment of American folk music, and a shining exemplar of the joy of live music shared with others. Youtube any of his live performances, and you will see what others have noted, that his concerts were not so much personal performances as they were joyous sing-alongs where he happily urged the audience to join in.

Here he his displaying his artistic mastery of the 12-string.  I love it when he starts frailing it like a banjo...

So long, Pete. It's been good to know you...

Forget Exceptionalism, now it's American Excessivism

CREST

Because 51 kinds of toothpaste just isn't enough!

Mint Chocolate Trek, Lime Spearmint Zest, and  Vanilla Mint Spark are three new 'flavors' of toothpaste being offered by Crest.

Now I don't really care that Crest offers 51 products in its line, nor do I really care that they now offer chocolate toothpaste.  I use Crest Pro Choice, not because I did any deep thinking or analysis, but because it's what my wife buys.  I reach into the drawer in the vanity and pull out toothpaste... what kind, I don't really care so long as it isn't that revolting glittery bubblegum flavored stuff my kids used to use.

The silliness of it all

Some people do some deep thinking on the subject.  Psychologists David Myers and Robert Lane concluded that the abundance of choice leads to depression and feelings of loneliness.  Barry Schwarz in A Paradox of Choice argued that with too many choices we begin to consider the hypothetical tradeoffs and the possibility of missed opportunities reduces our level of satisfaction.

Me, I think it's silly... it's just toothpaste.  I don't think all my teeth are going to fall out if I pick the wrong one, nor am I concerned that I may be missing out on the best tasting toothpaste in the world.

Is it choice or marketing?

My wife and I have two completely different methods of shopping.  I walk into a store, get what I need, and leave... if it's toothpaste I'm probably just going to grab something familiar or something on sale without giving it much thought.  If I go to the store for cheese, I come home with cheese.  My wife will come home with three or four bags of stuff... and may have forgotten cheese ;)  It's why we generally don't grocery shop together.

I tell my wife she's Madison Avenue's Dream Girl... we have a Swiffer, a Swabber, and whatever other gimmick they've developed as the latest iteration of a mop... me I'll clean the kitchen floor with a bucket and a scrub brush and think it does a better job.  Do you think there is $8 difference in performance between $2 toothpaste and $10 toothpaste? Or for that matter $20 Dickie's or $650 Gucci's?  Forget that last one, there is a difference... Dickie's last longer and are more comfortable.

What do you think?

British Nanny

Mary Cassatt

From the BBC

Stephen Cotton went to his local HSBC branch this month to withdraw £7,000 from his instant access savings account to pay back a loan from his mother.  "When we presented them with the withdrawal slip, they declined to give us the money because we could not provide them with a satisfactory explanation for what the money was for. They wanted a letter from the person involved."

Mr Cotton says the staff refused to tell him how much he could have: "So I wrote out a few slips. I said, 'Can I have £5,000?' They said no. I said, 'Can I have £4,000?' They said no. And then I wrote one out for £3,000 and they said, 'OK, we'll give you that.' "

Here's a dumb banker

"I can understand it's frustrating for customers. But if you are making the occasional large cash withdrawal, the bank wants to make sure it's the right way to make the payment." 

Here's a smart British politician

"It basically infantilises the customer. In a sense your money becomes pocket money and the bank becomes your parent." ~ Douglas Carswell MP for Clacton

Try this...

" Thank you... I'd like to close my account." 


The bank has since reversed its policy and will no longer require customers provide evidentiary proof of what they are going to use THEIR MONEY FOR!

This is the logical outcome of Nanny Statism

If I were Stephen Cotton I would be done with HSBC...even after 28 years as a customer.

Are You Prepared?

LACROSSE

The State of the Union

Dan Pfeifer, Assistant to the President, expects Obama to talk about:

"a set of real, concrete, practical proposals to grow the economy, strengthen the middle class and empower all who hope to join it"

Me, I think you may need one of these too:

TARGET

Because you can rest assured, he's going to blow smoke up your ass.

Unemployment is down!

But not because there are more jobs... but because of a shrinking labor force.  Wall Street advisor David Marotta claims 37% but don't be too alarmed, that number is no more real than the government's one.

Income Inequality

Real median household income is down 8% since 2007 and you can only blame Bush for so long...By 49 percent to 41 percent, voters now blame “policies of the present” rather than “policies of the past” for their economic problems.

Maybe you'll need one of these too:

TV BRICK

What do you think?

Canadian Music, eh?

The Age of Selfie-ishness

"When reality overtakes parody, there is no longer room for satire."
-- Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Which Headlines are Real?

Justine Bieber Pees Name in Snow

Kanye West Beats up Fellow Rapper, Steals Car

Kim Kardashian has Butt Cam Installed

Federal Budget includes 2.5 Million for Pot Bellied Pig Study

NAACP Official Calls black GOP senator "Ventriloquist's Dummy"

President says Pot OK

NY Mayor, after Tolerance Speech, Says Conservative Not Welcome in NY

More Americans tweet than read Bible

Selfie:  The Word of the Year

Second Hand Sitting

van Gogh

Okay, second hand sitting isn't a problem...yet, but recently sitting has been deemed as bad as smoking by some health care professionals.  

How many of you sit at work?

When you say "My job is killing me" you may be right.

A number of studies have shown that prolonged sitting is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and even early death.

“Smoking certainly is a major cardiovascular risk factor, and sitting can be equivalent in many cases,” said Dr. David Coven, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.

CBS New York

The more you sit, the poorer your health and the earlier you may die, no matter how fit you are.

In a 2012 study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers reported that people spent an average of 64 hours a week sitting, 28 hours standing, and 11 hours milling about (nonexercise walking), whether or not they exercised the recommended 150 minutes a week. That's more than nine hours a day of sitting, no matter how active they otherwise were.

"We were very surprised that even the highest level of exercise did not matter squat for reducing the time spent sitting," says study author Marc Hamilton, Ph.D.

In fact, regular exercisers may make less of an effort to move outside their designated workout time.

Runner's World

Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. 

Those with greater screen time had:

• A nearly 50 percent increased risk of death from any cause
• About a 125 percent increased risk of events associated with cardiovascular disease, such as chest pain (angina) or heart attack

Any extended sitting — such as behind a desk at work or behind the wheel — can be harmful. What's more, spending a few hours a week at the gym or otherwise engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn't seem to significantly offset the risk. 

Mayo Clinic 

So, QUIT MILLING ABOUT! 

Me, I'm just waiting for them to ban chairs in NYC

All Aboard the Pharma Train

PHenry

An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder. CDC


ADHD affects about 4.1% American adults age 18 years and older in a given year. The disorder affects 9.0% of American children age 13 to 18 years. Boys are four times at risk than girls. NIH

Anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year, causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. NIH

The average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes more than 11 prescription drugs. Kaiser Family Foundation

DSM vs ICD

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders versus the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

ADHD: It affects about 6–7% of children when diagnosed via the DSM-IV criteria and 1–2% when diagnosed via the ICD-10 criteria

While the DSM has its critics (Psychology Today) it is the standard diagnostic manual in use in the United States.

Subjective vs Objective Diagnosis

If you have cancer you have cancer, if you have hepatitis you have hepatitus, both are measurable objectively.  You can put cells under a microscope or run a physical test with observable results.

Now, who's too anxious?

According to the NIH roughly 1 in 5 of us suffer from 'anxiety'... roughly 1 in 5 of us also have light brown to blonde hair.  Now which is a genetic trait of our species and which is a disorder?

You may say it's a silly question or comparing apples and oranges, but seriously consider it for a minute. 

Zombies Among Us?

Confusion about identity, place, and time; shakiness and unsteady walk; unsteadiness, trembling, or other problems with muscle control or coordination; decreased awareness or responsiveness; depersonalization; seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there; Attack, assault, or force.  These are just some of the listed side effects of Ambien (Generic: Zolpidem). 

Zombies

In March of 2011, Lindsey Schweigert took one Ambien before getting into bed at 6pm. Hours later, she woke up in custody with no idea how she’d gotten there.

Julie Ann Bronson took a couple of Ambien to help her sleep. She awoke the following morning in jail, still in her pajamas, barefoot and terrified. When she was told that she had run over three people, including an 18-month-old girl who suffered severe brain damage as a result of the wreck, she was horrified.

The Fix


Kevin Robertson popped an Ambien recently to help him sleep. Next thing he knew, he woke up in jail -- facing criminal charges from a non-injury crash in Santa Clara, including driving under the influence of a drug and resisting arrest.

San Jose Mercury News

The Ambien Defense

The Lexis-Nexis search returned 28 relevant legal cases. The criminal cases by committing offense included: 7 violent crimes, 10 driving-related incidents, 1 sex offense, and 2 false reports. In these cases, the defendants argued that the use of zolpidem near the time of the offense reduced their criminal liability. JAAPL

When Ads go Over the Top

In anticipation of the upcoming Superbowl, let's take a look at some past ads that folks think went over the top.

Feel free to share your examples.

Fookoosheemah Raydeeayshun

Alex Jones recently ran with the headline "Despite Dangerously High Radiation Levels, No Caution Signs at Surfer’s Beach" which was a follow up to "Has Fukushima’s Radioactive Wave Already Hit California?"

Watch the video at the second link if you want to see what all the fuss is about.  

The article itself states:

The video shows a man measuring radiation readings at different spots on a beach south of Pillar Point Harbor. Background radiation in the areas immediately surrounding the beach are normal, but once the man approaches the water itself, the radiation spikes to at least 500 per cent safe levels and the Geiger counter’s alarm goes off.

 Yet if you watch the video itself you'll see the levels return to normal at the water's edge.

A curious note that I found researching the Geiger Counter used in the video is as follows:

Note: Recently there was a firmware bug that calculated totals incorrectly. These items are all brand new manufactured units with the latest firmware that does not have this problem. Purchase with confidence!

First, I wonder if he updated his firmware. 

Second, the stated accuracy of the device is: Accuracy (Referenced to Cs137): Typically ±15% from factory, ±10% with NIST Source Calibration and Built-In Efficiencies are: 5Sulfur (S35), 90Strontium (Sr/y90), 137Cesium (Cs137), 32Phosphorus (P32), 14Carbon (C14), 131Iodine (I131), 60Cobalt (Co60), and Alpha.

The California Department of Public Health states:

“Recent tests show that elevated levels of radiation at Half Moon Bay are due to naturally occurring materials and not radioactivity associated with the Fukushima incident,”

San Mateo County health officials also say:

"after testing the sand on Dec. 27 that higher levels of radiation on Half Moon Bay and Pacifica beaches appear to be from naturally occurring minerals, typically found in coastal geology"

Dan Sythe, CEO for International Medcom, which designs and manufactures Geiger Counters had the following to say:

The radionuclides are in the NORM class of radioactive substances, Radium and thorium, which are naturally occurring radioactive elements, not from Fukushima. The radiation level is elevated, but roughly equivalent to some granite counter top material from Brazil.  If the sand were contaminated by radiation from Fukushima it would show Cesium-137 a product of nuclear fission.

 So, Go to the Beach...Stay Out of your Kitchen

Alex Jones describes himself as a libertarian and a conservative... me, as a libertarian and a conservative, just describe him as an idiot and a braying jackass.

Some Lousy 12-Bar

Recorded in 1965, not released until 1996.  When asked in a radio interview if there were any unrecorded Beatles songs John Lennon replied "some lousy 12-bar".

This is it. 

Compare that, to this:

 

10 Happiest Countries in the World

All kinds of lists about happiest countries, best places to live, etc, get published every year.  Depending on the criteria, you will see different countries on it. I like this one because it features mostly Latin American countries where I have lived or visited, and it confirms what I saw with my own eyes.

Here's the List:

10. Guatemala
9.  Venezuela
8.  Nicaragua
7.  Panama
6.  Jamaica
5.  El Salvador
4.  Belize
3.  Colombia
2.  Vietnam
1.  Costa Rica

Why are people in these poor countries among the happiest in the world?  Here's my opinion:

* People there don't engage in constant narcissistic self-referential auto-fellatio.
* They view popular culture for what it is: Entertainment and not lifestyle guidance and life philosophy
* They don't cry discrimination if their lifestyle isn't reaffirmed by everyone else every five minutes.
* They don't base their happiness on the latest toy, luxury item or gadget.
* They see politics for the corrupt snake pit that it is, and they're not waiting for a politician to deliver them happiness.
* Consumerism is not yet rampant in these places. I remember walking through a Safeway after returning to the US from Peru and being dumbstruck by the revelation that our grocery stores have a whole aisle dedicated to just snacks
* They know how to make their own fun.

And, finally, what I believe to be the most important factor...

* Close-knit families and communities.

Links:
World's Top Ten Happiest Countries
Where Life has Meaning:  Poor, Religious Countries

Anxious and in a State of Panic

To Protect and To Serve

David Perdue is the surfer who was on his way to catch some morning waves last Feb. 7 when he was stopped by Torrance police on the lookout for Christopher Dorner.  After he was cleared by the first set of officers, a second set of officers drove up the street, rammed Perdue's vehicle and began shooting at his head. He was not hit.

Charges will not be filed...

The district attorney found that because McGee and his partner, Erin Sooper, were "anxious" and in a state of "panic," their attempt to kill Mr. Perdue was justified.

At the time officers stopped Perdue, Dorner had already killed two people, and officers throughout the area were protecting people he named as targets. Authorities believed he was driving a pickup, although it was a different make and color than Perdue's truck.

NBC Los Angeles

“a reasonable mistake of fact”

Dorner, an African-American suspect, was reportedly driving a grey NissanTitan.  David Purdue, white, was driving a black Honda Ridgeline.  In the same manhunt police also opened fire on a pair of Latina women in a royal blue Toyota Tacoma, shooting 71 year old Emma Hernandez.  That suit was settled for $4.2 million.

Out of Control

I am generally inclined to give police officers the benefit of the doubt in marginal circumstances, these cases are not marginal.  Different makes, models, colors, not to mention different license plates and different races of the occupants of the vehicles demonstrate a shoot first ask questions later mentality.  These circumstances are illustrative of law enforcement out of control.  Multiple incidents of a similar nature, in this case and others,  indicate not officers who are anxious and panicked, but a systemic institutional problem. Law enforcement needs to get back to basics...

To Protect and To Serve